Warbands

Githyanki Warbands and Orders

The Warbands of the githyanki are much like large, extended clans. Each warband controls both its own astral forts and prime-world fortress-hatcheries. Cohorts of warriors undergo the tests and training together, weeding out the weak and making the survivors stronger.

After their initial training, most stay with their warband's dojos, while some will leave the warband for a time to attend training academies organized by caste and specialization. Most return to their siblings, but some joinin one of the smaller orders. The orders are composed of like-minded specialists and have their own structures. Some orders have very close ties to a warband, as will be reflected in the order's name. Most members of such an order will likely come from that one warband, but the order will retain its own structure.

Each warband controls one or more fortress-nursuries, or Varsh'isk. Due to githyanki tradition, a third to more than half of the eggs produced are swapped with other Varsh'isk, to be raised by another warband's Varsh caste. Additionally, if a warrior wants to switch from one warband to another for some reason, there is a ceremony where the two bands come together. Both bands, through their chain of command, must agree to let the warrior go, and to accept her, respectively.
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- Warbands -

The warbands were originally named for 'the gifts of Gith', material substances that promote the war effort. Over the centuries they have expanded, splintered, merged, etc. The warbands are named after gemstones, metals, and types of stone. Each warband is known for producing certain types of warriors, though the larger ones produce githyanki with a great many specialties. A githyaki may leave a warband to join an order or even another warband. This is the closest the githyanki have to the institution of marrage. The warrior is joining a new 'family', but she retains many bonds to her old one.

Below are listed some of the larger or more (in)famous bands. [Character of the band is listed, this is in addition to the ever-ubiquitous githwarriors] * Asterisks mark extremely large and prominant bands.

Steel* [Warriors. Arcane-gifted gith are usually trained as gish (muti-class fighters), and those with psionics most often either milti-class or are Psi-warriors.]

Iron [As Steel, above]

Bronze [Various Mentalists and Psi-Warriors]

Copper [Mlar, Sorcery, and 'Scouts']

Silver* [Sorcery]

Lead

Diamond

Lapis [Sorcery]

Ruby* [Sorcery and Psionics]

Bloodstone* [Sorcery and Psionics]

Onyx* [Sorcery]

Garnet* [Warriors, see Steel, above]

Amethyst [Psionics]

Jasper

Jet

Basalt*

Slate [Sorcery, Loremasters]

Flint

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- Orders -

The githyanki orders are smaller and more specialized than the warbands. Many run their own training centers, and the most promising graduates are invited to stay rather than return to their warbands.

The Sharp Librum [Warlocks]

The Black Librum [Necromancers]

The Silver Knives [Gish and Rish, tied to the Band of Silver]

The Iron Fists [Knights, tied to the Band of Iron]

The Double-Edged Minds [Psi]

The Mindwardens [Psi]

The Mindhunters [Psi/Rogues]

The Dark Zelots [Knights]

The Voidwalkers [Psiportation specialists]